Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

Drawing from Eastern and Western literatures, Heinrich Zimmer presents a selection of stories linked together by their common concern for the problem of our eternal conflict with the forces of evil. Beginning with a tale from the Arabian Nights, this theme unfolds in legends from Irish paganism, medieval Christianity, the Arthurian cycle, and early Hinduism. In the retelling of these tales, Zimmer discloses the meanings within their seemingly unrelated symbols and suggests the philosophical wholeness of this assortment of myth.

Review

"This handsome volume of essays . . . is the yield of what can be called an Indologist's holiday. . . . Expertly edited by Joseph Campbell, these essays rest upon Zimmer's belief--a belief which he shares with Jung and others--that the spiritual heritage of archaic man still survives in "the deeper unconscious layers of our soul.'"--Saturday Review of Literature

Review

This handsome volume of essays . . . is the yield of what can be called an Indologist's holiday. . . . Expertly edited by Joseph Campbell, these essays rest upon Zimmer's belief--a belief which he shares with Jung and others--that the spiritual heritage of archaic man still survives in "the deeper unconscious layers of our soul.'

Synopsis

Drawing from Eastern and Western literatures, Heinrich Zimmer presents a selection of stories linked together by their common concern for the problem of our eternal conflict with the forces of evil. Beginning with a tale from the Arabian Nights, this theme unfolds in legends from Irish paganism, medieval Christianity, the Arthurian cycle, and early Hinduism. In the retelling of these tales, Zimmer discloses the meanings within their seemingly unrelated symbols and suggests the philosophical wholeness of this assortment of myth.

Description

Includes bibliographical references and index.

About the Author

The noted Indologist Heinrich Zimmer, born in Germany in 1890, came to the United States in 1940, at the height of his career, and was lecturing at Columbia University when he died in 1943. His other works in the Bollingen series include Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization and Philosophies of India.

Table of Contents

Abu Kasem's slippers -- A pagan hero and a Christian saint -- Four romances from the cycle of King Arthur: Gawain and the Green Knight. The Knight with the lion. Lancelot. Merlin -- The king and the corpse -- Four episodes from the romance of the goddess: The involuntary creation. The involuntary marriage. The voluntary death. Shiva Mad -- On the Sipråa shore.